- Album list
- Singer Intro
Albert Louis Hammond Jr. (né Hammond III; born April 9, 1980) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and music producer. He is most famous for his role as rhythm and lead guitarist, as well as occasional keyboard player and backing vocalist, in the American rock band The Strokes. He is the son of singer-songwriter Albert Hammond (best known for his 1972 hit single 'It Never Rains in Southern California'). Hammond Jr. released his debut album Yours To Keep in 2006 and followed up with ¿Cómo Te Llama? in 2008 and his EP, AHJ in 2013. His third solo album, Momentary Masters, was released through Vagrant Records on July 31, 2015. The Beach Boys, Buddy Holly, Frank Black, Guided By Voices, John Lennon, Matthew Sweet and The Velvet Underground are often cited as his major influences.
Life and career
Hammond was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of British-Gibraltarian singer/songwriter/musician Albert Hammond and Argentine former model and beauty pageant winner Claudia Fernández. Hammond Jr. was sent to the elite boarding school Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland at the age of 13. While there, he met Julian Casablancas, who would go on to be a fellow band member.
In 1998, Hammond met up with Casablancas in New York City and joined The Strokes as the last member with Casablancas' former schoolmates Nikolai Fraiture, Nick Valensi, and Fabrizio Moretti.
His trademark is wearing formal three-piece suits, and has been said by bandmate Julian Casablancas to be the most influential on the band's style. Hammond is usually seen playing a 1985 '70s reissue Olympic White Fender Stratocaster or Gibson Les Paul Jr. that is sometimes used by bandmate Nick Valensi. On the majority of The Strokes' songs he plays rhythm guitar, and solos are played by Valensi. The songs in which Hammond does play solos are 'Last Nite', 'Trying Your Luck', 'Take It or Leave It', 'Under Control', 'The End Has No End', 'Ize of the World', 'Threat of Joy', 'Vision of Division', and 'Drag Queen'. His solos tend to focus largely on more emotional, 'bluesy'-type melodical work, and the guitar tends to have a cleaner, softer tone in comparison to Valensi's (with a notable exception found in 'Vision of Division'). He often holds his guitar in a high horizontal position, similar to Buddy Holly, which he says is so that he can dance better.
Hammond was set to release his own line of men's suits which he will co-design along with stylist Ilaria Urbinati. The suits were at first only be available at the soon-to-open Confederacy store in Los Angeles which Urbinati co-owns with actor/DJ Danny Masterson. Speaking about the designing endeavor Hammond Jr. told New York magazine, 'I want to make suits that I'm going to have for myself. They're for the person who needs his one suit for a wedding. He'd rather get something like this than go to Men's Wearhouse, pay the same amount, and look like an out-of-date parent.' Prices for his line start at $1,250 for the Urbinati-designed trench coat and the $2,000+ price range for his suits. Hammond told NME that the suits will be available in three styles with a new design every season and that he's aiming to keep the line classic.
Hammond married Polish restaurateur Justyna Sroka on December 23, 2013. He had previous relationships with British supermodel Agyness Deyn, as well as American musician Catherine Pierce of The Pierces.
Musical setup
Albert's main guitar is a Fender Stratocaster Arctic White 1985 Reissue of a 1972. He owns three white Stratocasters, a Gibson Les Paul special single cutaway, a Rickenbacker 325, and a Gretsch hollowbody. His amplifier is a Fender Hot Rod DeVille 2x12. His pedal board is made up of an old version of the MXR Micro Amp, a V1 Jekyll and Hyde Ultimate Overdrive and Distortion, and a BOSS TU-2 tuner. In later shows he adds another Micro Amp, and Jekyll and Hyde, and a Boss Digital Delay. He now uses a Mad Professor Deep Blue Delay pedal instead of the Boss Digital Delay.
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